The March 9th Asics LA Marathon was a day for Ethiopians and women. Elite runner Amane Gobena of Ethiopia crossed the finish line first for the women and her countryman, Gebo Burka, won the men's race.

Gobena's time was 2 hours, 27 minutes, 37 seconds and her victory secured her a $25,000 payday. Burka's time was 2 hours, 10 minutes, 37 seconds, and he also won a cool $25,000.

The LA Marathon gives the elite female runners of the race a head start of 17 minutes and 41 seconds, and race officials offer an extra reward if a woman can keep ahead of the men and cross the finish line first.

Gobena managed to win the challenge and crossed the finish line a short 41 seconds before Burka.

For the wheelchair race, competitor Joshua George crossed the finish line first with a time of 1 hour, 33 minutes, 11 seconds.

Other significant performances came from second place female runner Tigist Tufa, hailing from Ethiopia, with a time of 2:28:04 and Lauren Kleppin of the United States, who crossed the finish line in 2:28:48.

For the men's race, Lani Rutto of Kenya scored a second place finish with 2:10:48 and the 2013 LA Marathon champion Erik Mose crossed the finish line third with a time of 2:12:56.

Elite runners enjoyed a starting temperature for the race of around 50 degrees. The race began at iconic Dodger Stadium and finished in Santa Monica. Along the way, runners got to see classic Los Angeles sights like downtown LA, Hollywood, and Chinatown.

Non-elite runners who started the race later were subjected to warmer-than-average temperatures as Los Angeles saw heat in the 80s all over the Southland. The nearly cloudless sky presented some challenges to regular participants, but thousands of runners managed to complete the historic 26.2 despite the warmth.

To date, almost a half-million runners have completed the LA Marathon. Now's your chance to start training for the 2015 marathon. Visit the LA Marathon's official site to find out more about when the next race will be held:

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Kelsey has lived in Los Angeles since 2000 and has participated in over one-hundred 5K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon races. Having been an avid runner for several years, she also participates in local running clubs and charities. Outside of the competitive world, Kelsey often takes advantage of the fantastic number of trails around the city and can be found running the coastline, the hills, and the back-roads, rain or shine, all year round.